


There's no place like your embrace

by orphan_account



Series: Ideas that will probably not be continued [2]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Gen, M/M, Pre-Slash to Slash, Prompt Fill, braid pulling, fears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-11
Updated: 2013-12-11
Packaged: 2018-01-04 09:35:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1079400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was absolutely no reason for him to be so very afraid, but here he was. Cautiously, he approached the deep river the dwarves were currently wading through. Seven of them, the youngsters in the middle, had already began climbing onto the shore, the rest was slowly getting used to the speed the water was rushing by. He could hear Balin curse as he slipped on uneven ground, but the elderly dwarf was held up by bis brother, usually right behind him. Bilbo only shrank further into the shadows of the treeline. Not long after that, the only ones left to cross were him and Thorin, who would go last, no matter how hard the hobbit would have tried to convince him otherwise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	There's no place like your embrace

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sandvichsbehindme](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandvichsbehindme/gifts).



> This is a gift to you, Fio! Hope you like it, even if it went a bit sideways ;)

There was absolutely no reason for him to be so very afraid, but here he was. Cautiously, he approached the deep river the dwarves were currently wading through. Seven of them, the youngsters in the middle, had already began climbing onto the shore, the rest was slowly getting used to the speed the water was rushing by. He could hear Balin curse as he slipped on uneven ground, but the elderly dwarf was held up by bis brother, usually right behind him. Bilbo only shrank further into the shadows of the treeline. Not long after that, the only ones left to cross were him and Thorin, who would go last, no matter how hard the hobbit would have tried to convince him otherwise. 

It was ridiculous, really. He had escaped the goblin tunnels, killed wargs and orcs alike, for fuck's sake, he had almost died in an attempt to save the dwarven king. But he couldn't, wouldn't go near that blasted river any time soon. No way.

There was a low sigh, followed by a soft, but clearly annoyed: "Bilbo?" The hobbit peeked out from the tree he was hiding behind. It was still a novelty to hear his name spoken aloud by their leader. It's been but a few days since they've been heading down from the carrock, and that hug, his brain reminded him. Goodness, the hug. He certainly wouldn't forget that anytime soon. The strong arms, the scent of iron, leather and something uniquely Thorin, the hair that had tickled his cheek... He came to when he felt a large hand grasp his arm lightly.

Green eyes met icy blue ones, and Bilbo squeaked a little at the barely concealed amusement he found in them. "Bilbo, are you alright?" Thorin's inquisitive glance turned concerned however, as the hobbit still didn't asnwer him.

Who could blame him, though? He was just not used to attractive dwarven kings smiling at him like that. Bilbo was blushing to the tips of his pointy ears, he was sure of it. Oh, it was all just so embarassing! He could feel the questioning glances of the others on them and that certainly did not help either. Bilbo just wanted to hide for a while, reaching for that tree again as soon as the thought had crossed his mind. To his dismay however Thorin simply gripped his bicep tighter, not enough to hurt, but tight enough to keep the hobbit from disappearing. 

"Bilbo, look at me, please." The Hobbit simply shook his head, although he was surprised at the low, soothing tone Thorin had used. As if he was a frightened child the dwarf needed to calm down. Well, maybe he was. A finger under his chin forced him to look up again, and Bilbo's breath caught. 

"You need to tell me what it is that troubles you." Another sigh, as Bilbo still did not say a word. This time, it was the dwarf's eyes that had Bilbo distracted. He was staring into them as if they were a lifeline, guiding him out of his stupor bit by bit.

Suddenly, he started clawing at Thorin's armor, desperate for something to hold. The dwarf frowned, confused by the hobbit's demeanour, but settled his hands soothingly on top of his shoulders. 

Thorin cast a quick glance over his shoulder, and found that their companions already had settled down and had begun to set up camp. His eyes found that of his nephews', who quickly gave him thumbs up, completely misreading the situation. He growled at them, but the two of them just giggled like the children they still were. A meek voice caught his attention again.

"It's just, that... uhm..." The small hands continued to scramble uselessly across his armored chest, until the dwarf caught them with his larger ones. The smaller man shivered a bit, and Thorin waited patiently for him to say any more. Before, the dwarf would have been annoyed to no end, but since Bilbo had saved his life, a lot of his behaviour towards the hobbit had changed. He didn't want to think about the reasons for that. Or about how Bilbo had fit so perfectly into his arms, like a puzzle suddenly complete, Thorin almost not letting go.

"I can't swim. I-I will drown." The king focused his attention back on the small being in front of him. Bilbo pulled a bit to free his hands, and Thorin let him, even as he felt a bit disappointed from the warmth leaving his fingers. He settled them back onto the hobbit's shoulder instead.

"I'll be right behind you." He assured Bilbo, thinking of the last time he had to do something similar to this. When Kili had been but a small dwarfling, the young boy had loved to climb trees. One day, he didn't want to come down again, having climbed to high, and being afraid of the height. It had taken Thorin almost two hours to get him back down again. He wondered if this would take as long.

"Yes, I know, but that's not the point!" Bilbo grew angry at himself for acting so foolishly, rubbing at his eyes to wipe away the tears that had managed to gather and fall. He suddenly was pulled into a pair of strong arms, and stiffened slightly out of surprise.

"Then what is?" He was asked, and then the tears fell freely as he allowed himself to melt into the embrace. 

"I am scared, no I am terrified. I have so many relatives seen drowning because they underestimated the power of water. No hobbit but a few can swim. I don't have the strenght to withstand the water. I will be swept away and then I will drown." The words had left his mouth in a rush, and he was back to gulping large amounts of air into his lungs, before he was swept up into strong arms as if he weighed nothing.

"Come on, let's go." Thorin started to determinedly walk towards the river, and Bilbo instantly struggled to get free.

"Will you hold still?" The king barked, irritated now.

"I will not be carried like some hobbit lass! Let me down this instant!" The hobbit wriggled harder now, desperately trying to get out of Thorin's grasp. His poor, embarassed heart couldn't take any of this any longer.

"If you do not stop right now, we will both fall into the water and I will not be able to fish out of it again." Ah, Thorin thought contently, he stopped. But now he was pulling at his braids, and that did things to him that were not appropriate to mention in this peculiar situation. The dwarf grunted as another wave of arousal shot through his spine, and carefully adjusted his grip on the hobbit's slim shoulders and under his knees.

"We're going in now, alright?" There was a tiny no to be heard, but Thorin ignored it and kept on walking. 

The water was freezing once he entered it, but he gritted his teeth and continued on. The members of his company were shooting them curious looks, however not one of them tried to help him, the bastards that they were. At one point he even slipped on the pebbles that littered the ground, almost keeling completely over as the grip on his braids got even tighter. He could hear them laughing, now.

"Bilbo?" A small, barely there nod against his neck, where Bilbo's hair was tickling him. "Please stop pulling on my braids." The hobbit loosened his grip a little, but didn't let go. An exasperated sigh escaped his lips.

Bilbo must have heard, because he mumbled something into his shoulder. "What was that?" Thorin asked, a little bit curious, as it would distract him from the freezing. As if Bilbo's warm body didn't already do that, a voice in his head said slyly. He ignored it.

"They bring me comfort." Thorin must have misheard. "Come again?"

"I will not repeat that!" Bilbo retortet, almost violently pulling again to emphasize his point. Thorin really couldn't help the small moan that escaped him, he really couldn't. The halfling suddenly went very still in his arms, and the king cursed internally. It really wasn't the time for Bilbo to find out that he attracted to him. Well, then it never was, but at least Bilbo had stopped pulling.

After a few more tiring, uncomfortable minutes they reached the shore, where Bilbo practically jumped from his arms, and Thorin couldn't blame him. He was as shaken by the whole ordeal as the hobbit was. As his big furry feet touched the ground, Bilbo's legs gave out under him, and Thorin quickly stepped in to try and catch him. However, their legs tangled and the next second they found themselves on the ground, the dwarf sprawled on top of the hobbit.

"Ohhh, quiete bold of you, uncle!" He was going to strangle his nephew, and everyone else as they found it all so very funny. 

Bilbo gave another squeak beneath him, so Thorin made to pull away. He didn't make it as he was yanked down by his braids again, but this time for his lips to be sealed by another pair. The dwarf positively growled at the contact, and moved to deepen the kiss, pressing just a bit harder to gauge his hobbit's reaction. He was rewarded with a lovely sigh and small hands burying themselves into the dark tresses of his hair. 

A cleared throat made him pull away, but not before nuzzling the nose before his with his own. He didn't want to look up now, not with these beautiful dazed eyes gazing confusedly into his own. He smiled slightly at the pout that had formed on Bilbo's swollen lips.

As he carried Bilbo off this time, the hobbit did not complain, and Thorin didn't mind the small hands gripping his braids in the slightest.


End file.
